The Battle of Augur
Stardate: 6.15.3584 ''' ''The Terran-Vossk War'' ' 'The Battle of Augur ''' U.S.S. Liberty'' ' '''Captain’s Log Entry #212' The first thing that struck me, was the number of capital ships. As I gazed out the bridge of my carrier, the U.S.S Liberty, I was dumbfounded by them. There appeared to be dozens, no, hundreds of capital ships. Perhaps even a thousand. A sea of Terran gray and yellow. Carriers, frigates, cruisers. One followed by another, like the grand cavalry forces from ancient Terran history, marching to the front lines. They were just missing the tall, intimidating riders. Accompanying them, were tens of thousands of smaller craft: bombers, fighters, interceptors. Like mosquitos, they clung next to the horses, flying in their proximity. Of course, they were lacking the buzz, as they were in the middle of space, and sound was not audible there. All of these ships were heading towards an equally formidable force, orbiting the planet of Augur. The planet was previously captured in a battle by the Vossk, the greatest rival of us Terrans. They were a hostile insectoid race, each individual much bulkier than the average Terran, with bluish-grey skin, and two pairs of piercing red eyes. Like us, they had hundreds of capital ships, surrounded by smaller craft. The only difference between their fleet and ours, was ship design (their ships had a scaly, insectoid look to them), colors (theirs was green and black), and fleet formation. The capital ships formed a defensive wall, the side of their hulls facing us. I knew that this tactic was employed to draw our forces thin. Each Vossk cruiser would be able to take on two of our capital ships, as the sides of the Vossk cruiser had twice the canons, dealing twice the damage to us, and half the surface area, making it easier for us to miss. As we drew closer and closer to the Vossk ships, my stomach churned, as I thought of all the unpleasant possibilities of what could happen to me and my men. This was our first real battle, and we were all scared like hell. My mind went back to the Space Fleet Academy, where I got my first taste of what war was like. There, I met an old Space Fleet admiral. His name escapes me for now, but I remembered his temperament. His eyes were blank with the horrors of war. He verbalized with a depressing attitude. He knew what war was like, and he knew that it was not pretty. For us at the Academy, he represented the terrors that war could achieve. I found my recollections abruptly interrupted by a voice on the comms. “Attention all fleet commanders,” the voice said, “This is Admiral Wilkinson. We are beginning the attack. Commence attack formation Delta dash 582.” I instantly knew what Admiral Wilkinson meant. Basically, in order to counter the Vossk’s wall tactic, we would launch all our bombers to take out as many Vossk capital ships as possible, with our fighters at the front forming a defensive line. Essentially that meant cannon fodder. Meanwhile, the interceptors would provide escort for the bombers and made sure as many bombers could deliver their payload as they can. Our capital ships would be safe until a considerable amount of damage was done to the Vossk. As I relayed the order to commence Delta-582 to my deck crew and pilots, I saw outside of my bridge that many of our ships were amassing at the front of our fleet. As the final ships headed to the cluster at the front, the attack began. As if controlled by a collective hive mind, all at once, the ships charged into the Vossk armada. The Vossk immediately opened fire, launching all of their smaller ships at us, and their cannons lit up the darkness of space. I watched as the pilots, some of them my own, dashed around frantically, chasing after the enemy, and firing at the Vossk. To the untrained eye, this was pure chaos. But to me and every other officer in the Terran Space Fleet, we knew that the pilots were following Delta-582. The interceptors took down Vossk after Vossk, while the fighters continued bringing up the bombers in their defensive wall. The bombers were sustaining heavy losses, since they were a target of high interest among the Vossk, as the Vossk knew that destruction and chaos would ensue among their ranks if the bombers reached their capital ships. Flak lit up the space, sometimes shooting down ships, sometimes missing and exploding in mid-space. The comms channel of the Liberty was filled with chaos akin to this, as pilots yelled in triumph after taking down their target, screaming in panic as they were shot down and consumed in a fireball, and commanders frantically shouting orders to their men. In the meantime, our capital ships were heading toward the Vossk armada at twenty percent speed. As soon as the bombers delivered their payload, we would quicken our pace to one hundred percent speed, turn ninety degrees and stop as soon as we were within range, and commence fire upon the Vossk. All of us on the bridge anxiously waited for the bomber commanders to radio us with word of success, so we could get in on some of the action as well. And the word would soon come. We watched as the cluster of bombers reached their destination and delivered their devastating payload. Scores of Vossk carriers and frigates went up in flames, sometimes taking neighboring Vossk ships along with them. Much of the huge defensive wall was now left a series of green and black ruins. Then, a voice on the comms said “Beta One to all fleet commanders. The payload has been delivered and you are now weapons free. Good luck.” “Full speed ahead!” I shouted at my deck officers. We were finally able to get in on the action now. I felt a jolt as the Liberty rapidly increased speed, and gazed out the bridge to see many other ships around us following suit. We were instantly greeted by flak and lasers shaking the Liberty violently. “Divert power to the forward shields!” I exclaimed. After a few minutes, we were within range of the Vossk. Admiral Wilkinson came onto the comms “We are within range now. Rotate ninety degrees and open fire on the Vossk capital ships.” “You heard him, everyone! Ninety degrees and open fire. C’mon boys, let’s move it!” I yelled, as I watched the forward windows of the bridge started to veer off from the sight of the battle, and into the emptiness of space. The Liberty jolted again as she came to a grinding halt. I switched to the view of the side window, where the battle now was. Lasers from both sides were raining at each other. My deck officers were rapidly typing orders for the gunner crews below deck into their consoles. Laser after laser was fired out of the Liberty, along with many other ships, and slammed into the hulls of the Vossk. Flak poured out of our ships endlessly. Meanwhile, our smaller ships engaged the Vossk’s smaller ships in tight dogfights. We fought for hours, tirelessly. Explosion followed explosion. Carriers, frigates, gone in flashes of light. The screams of pilots could be heard on the comms. Both sides suffered heavy losses. Almost half our smaller craft were stardust, and around a quarter of our capital ships were just wrecks now. The Vossk lost all their capital ships and approximately only a third of their smaller ships remained. We started to focus our fire on the smaller ships. However, soon after, my radar officer informed me of a group of Vossk ships headed towards our ship. They were bombers, and if they got within range of the Liberty it would spell the end for me and my men. Immediately, I gave orders to fire at them. It was no use. They were some of the agilest pilots I have ever encountered and dodged all our fire with ease. Seeing the situation become increasingly dire, I went onto the comms and communed with the commander of my fighter pilots. “Liberty Commander,” I said. “Come in. This is Captain Williams. We are in need of your assistance. A group of bombers is heading to our position, and we need you guys to take them out.” “Negative Captain,” was the reply. “We’re engaged in a dogfight at the moment, and will be unable to provide assistance at the time.” Damn! I thought, as our chance at survival narrowed. The bombers were minutes away from our position, and there seemed to be no hope. I decided to relay the news through the entire fleet, hoping at least someone will be able to respond. “This is Captain Williams of the U.S.S. Liberty ''relaying an S.O.S. to the fleet. A group of bombers is headed our way and we are unable to take them out. Someone please respond!” All of the replies came in negative, as everyone else was indisposed. However, there was one cruiser able to help. It was the ''U.S.S. Patriot. Her captain was a close friend of mine, Captain Kyle Hiro. We had known each other as long as I could remember, growing up on the world of Eden Prime. Eventually, as we became teens, Kyle got into some trouble, getting mixed up with some intergalactic criminal organizations. I was the one to talk him out of getting involved with gangs and to start his life over. Now we were both in the Terran Space Fleet, serving under Admiral Wilkinson, fighting in the battle of Augur. “Mark,” Kyle said, “We’re coming to your aid.” “Kyle!” I exclaimed. “Oh thank God you’re here. Another minute and those bombers would’ve turned us into stardust.” “Don’t worry Mark. We’ll take care of them.” “Thanks, Kyle. I knew my men and I could count on you." I watched as the Patriot set off to engage the bombers. However, something wasn’t right. He didn’t open fire when the Patriot was in range. Instead, he started to position her in the path of the bombers. “Kyle! What the hell are you doing?! Why aren’t you firing at the bombers? Get out of their path, they’re about to hit you!” “I’m sorry Mark, we’re out of ammunition. The only way to stop them is for... them to crash into us.” “Kyle, have you gone mad?! There’s no chance that you and the Patriot will survive that!” “I know Mark. But my men and I are more than willing make that sacrifice. The Liberty has more crew than the Patriot, after all.” “Don’t do it, Kyle!” “Don’t beat yourself up over it Mark. This is for you helping me to restart my life. Who knows what wreck I would’ve been like without you?” “Kyle NO!” I was practically crying now. “I’m sorry. But I’ve made my decision. Goodbye Mark. And… thanks for everything.” Kyle started to choke up as well on that last sentence. And with that, the bombers, unable to veer off course quickly enough, crashed into the Patriot. Only static was audible on the comms, and his ship was in flames now. The engines were failing. The lights on his ship started flickering. Then, an explosion that rumbled even the Liberty, and Kyle was gone. “KYLE!” I screamed. Kyle had sacrificed himself and his entire crew for us. I wasn’t going to let that go in vain. I ordered my men to finish off the remaining ships as quickly as possible. We shot at the last few remaining ships. As the last one disappeared in a bright flash of light, I yelled “That was for Kyle!” After a long fought battle, we had finally control of the orbit of Augur. In a few hours, we’d commence orbital bombardment to weaken the Vossk land troops and send in infantry to take the planet once and for all. I studied the space in which the battle had taken place. Everywhere, remains of what was once a ship floated. I thought back to the beginning of the battle, with innumerable capital ships on each side. Now, the amount was more than halved, and death surrounded the entire battlefield. I wept silently for those who died that day. For once, I understood what the old admiral felt back at the Academy. We had lost so many men that day. Good men that I knew, like Kyle Hiro, and the crew of his ship, the U.S.S. Patriot. They had enlisted in the Terran Space Fleet to help their government, and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice. So many had exhibited bravery and fought with honor, and in the end perished for it. That day, I'd learned the truth about war, that it leaves scars on everyone, that safety was never a guarantee, and that one day, you might lose a part of yourself to it. Peace to those who fell in the Battle of Augur. '''''Junior Captain Marcus Williams